I'm a Master in India

Chapter 243: Collusion Between Officials and Businessmen

In July, heat steamed over the land of Uttar Pradesh.

The workers simply took off their clothes, their backs black and shiny with oil, and waited under the scorching sun.

Today was a big day; Sur Cement Factory was about to start trial production.

Oh no, according to the sign at the factory gate, it should be called Sur Building Materials Company.

Ron and Ratan arrived by car. As soon as they appeared, the workers gathered here began to cheer.

"Long live the great Mr. Sur!" Muna stood at the front of the line, raising his fist and shouting.

He had a yellow cloth tied around his head again, like a fighter, and the crowd, led by him, shouted slogans in unison.

Ron got out of the car and waved to everyone with a smile. The scorching sunlight reflected off his sunglasses, glaring brightly.

"This guy Muna is good at organizing these things," Ratan was very satisfied with the scene before him and said enthusiastically.

"You think so too, right?" Ron stood in front of the factory and looked around.

In addition to various slogans, many workers held up his portrait.

Damn, it's like an election, so ostentatious!

"He's doing a great job. In India, you have to be like this, make everyone remember your face, especially the people who work for you."

"The method is too simple and crude," Ron sighed, like children playing house.

"But it's effective. These illiterates can't read at all, and they can't even remember complex slogans. But portraits are understandable to everyone, and with a simple slogan, everyone shouts it, day after day, and eventually everyone will see you as the truth. My brother, this is the cornerstone of our rule."

Ron nodded. He knew Ratan was telling the truth. Promoting in India wasn't that complicated; you didn't need to play marketing strategies, just go straight at it.

Every election season, you would see the streets and alleys plastered with many similar propaganda slogans.

Long live the great XXX Party! Down with the ugly XXX Party!

It was all like this, as straightforward as could be.

There was no other way; you had to make the poor understand. They were the main voters; the rich didn't need to vote.

"When is that Yadav coming?" The sun was blazing, and Ratan was getting impatient waiting.

"Soon," Ron raised his wrist and checked his watch. "He won't miss a day like this."

The recently popular Sur Cement Factory was about to start trial production, so of course the Chief Minister had to attend the opening ceremony.

Such a good publicity opportunity was something no politician would miss.

Sure enough, before long, two cars sped towards them on the dirt road in the distance.

Yadav, and his brother, got out of the cars and immediately posed, constantly waving to the crowd.

Several people with cameras got out of the other car. They jogged to Yadav's side, some kneeling, some squatting, taking various photos.

Yadav was originally smiling, but when he saw that the workers were holding Ron's portraits, his expression immediately became somewhat displeased.

Ron gave Muna a look, and the latter immediately understood what to do.

"Long live the great Socialist Party!" He once again became the fighter.

"Support the great Socialist Party members!"

The gradually louder slogans also turned Yadav's cloudy face clear, and the kneeling journalists took even more enthusiastic photos.

"Well done," Yadav came over to greet him.

"I have to thank you for your support," Ron said politely with a smile.

"No problem today, right?"

"Of course, everything is ready."

The group entered the factory area. Towering structures, huge rotary kilns, long conveyor pipes – industrial beauty was everywhere.

They walked from one building to another. Ron's propaganda posters were visible everywhere.

His head either overlooked from billboards or gazed into the distance on safety posters, and even the walls of the high towers were printed with his smiling face.

Next to it was a newly painted slogan, "Our Leader: He knows where the direction is, points the direction, and moves forward bravely."

Well, these were also Muna's ideas.

In his words, the workers could see the great Mr. Sur with just a casual glance up.

Very Indian, very distinctive.

Yadav saw it but didn't say anything.

This was Ron's territory, his factory, and outsiders had no right to criticize.

"Ron, you are even more capable than I imagined," Yadav said with great admiration at this moment.

"When I first came, there wasn't even a road here. Only a few scattered villages, low shrubs, and woods."

Opening mines and building factories in such a place required considerable courage. Few Indians could do it, at least not in Uttar Pradesh.

"How big is the entire project, and how much longer will it take?" Yadav noticed that many places had only laid foundations.

"The first phase of the project will be fully completed by next year. The power station, distribution center, and worker dormitories haven't caught up yet. If we expand later, the scale will double several times."

Right now, they were rushing the construction period to get the production line ready, and the complete supporting facilities were put last.

"This is the industrial pearl of Uttar Pradesh," Yadav commented grandly.

"It is also proof of the Minister's foresight," Ron extended his hand and led him into the workshop.

The production of cement is not complicated; the difficulty lies in scaling up and large investment.

Limestone mined from the quarry is first crushed initially, then crushed a second time, then enters the homogenization silo to stabilize the composition, followed by preheating decomposition, calcining into clinker, and finally ground into cement powder while adding additives like gypsum.

The entire production process doesn't require very precise equipment. As long as you are willing to invest money, anyone can make it work.

As early as a few days ago, preparations for all stages were already in place. Today was more like a symbolic ceremony.

After Yadav nodded, Ron immediately ordered the start of work.

Rumble, rumble, the huge conveyor belt started, and continuous crushed stones were sent into the grinding mill.

After the piercing noise, the processed semi-finished products entered the next process.

The entire factory was like a giant beast that had just woken up, constantly shaking its body until the ground trembled slightly.

The finished cement discharge port was several hundred meters away, with two methods: bulk loading and bagging.

Most of this batch was for self-use, so trucks were already waiting below the discharge port.

Soon, the gray cement was sent into the truck bed, and the technical head, Gaur, had some taken.

He rubbed it with his hand, then smelled it, and immediately showed a happy expression.

"The quality is very good, better than most in the North India region."

"How much can be produced?" Yadav asked.

"If the trial production is successful, the estimated annual output after formal production will be 100,000 tons."

Trial production is to verify the feasibility of the process and whether it meets expectations. Only after acceptance will large-scale production be carried out.

"100,000 tons, not bad!" Yadav was very satisfied with this number.

"Recently, I heard that the state government is preparing to expand the airport in Lucknow?" Ron asked casually.

"Cough, no decision has been made yet. This requires a meeting to study."

"Sur Cement Factory's quotation is definitely sincere, and our quality is impeccable," Ron hinted to him.

Yadav was a little tempted but still didn't let go. However, considering the special nature of today, he changed the subject.

"Lucknow is preparing to build a highway connecting Kanpur, 200 kilometers. You can try bidding."

"That's really great!" Ron was overjoyed.

"You know the rules, right?"

"Of course, ten percent."

"Not bad," Yadav nodded in satisfaction. He looked at the new and busy factory and nodded again, "Very good!"

After taking some photos and saying some empty words to the camera, Yadav left satisfied.

"This guy opens his mouth and demands ten percent in kickbacks. He's treating us like fat sheep," Ratan was extremely contemptful of Yadav's rogue behavior.

"It's already pretty good," Ron sighed.

For a 200-kilometer highway, according to international standards, it requires 600-900 tons of cement per kilometer.

But the Indian standard, everyone knows, it's good if the cement usage per kilometer can reach 300 tons.

This section of the project requires a total of 60,000 tons of cement. To be honest, it's already a big deal for Sur Cement Factory.

According to the current market conditions, cement in Uttar Pradesh ranges from 1800 rupees to 2500 rupees per ton.

How much is Sur Cement Factory preparing to quote? Of course, 2500 rupees!

Government bidding projects, quoting the highest price, this is everyone's tacit understanding.

Of course, the premise is that Ron and Yadav complete the behind-the-scenes transaction beforehand.

Well, that is, collusion between officials and businessmen to get the project.

The total quotation for 60,000 tons of cement is 150 million rupees, a very considerable figure.

Ron's cement factory gets raw materials for free; the only costs are energy consumption and labor.

Cement is a high-energy-consuming industry. In the calcining process, the amount of coal consumed is almost in a 1:1 trend with the cement output.

Other equipment also requires additional electricity to drive, and these two account for about a quarter of the cement cost.

As for labor, it's negligible.

Cement worth a total of 150 million rupees, minus costs, the total profit is about 110 million rupees.

This kind of infrastructure project involving collusion between officials and businessmen is indeed highly profitable.

Ron only needs to get two more government projects, and his cement factory will break even.

Outrageous, even a little unreal.

But this is not the most incredible part; Yadav's income will make your jaw drop.

From the 150 million rupees project fund, according to the agreement, he will take 15 million rupees.

Do you think this is the end? No, this is just the beginning.

As Chief Minister, when he applies for funds from New Delhi, he will set the plan according to the highest standards.

What does that mean? 900 tons of cement usage per kilometer of road, this is the highest standard.

But the actual data is 300 tons, less than one-third of what is in the plan.

Where did the remaining money go? Officials in Lucknow and other contractors have something to say.

This is India. The funds actually used for engineering construction only account for 30% of the project budget. In more outrageous places, 10%-15% is not impossible.

The remaining 70%-90% of the funds are embezzled by officials.

60,000 tons of cement, a profit of more than 90 million rupees, which is not bad.

With the current output of Sur Cement Factory, it is enough for the workers to produce at full capacity for more than half a year.

However, Ron wasn't very happy; he was thinking about something else.

"Is Yadav dissatisfied with us?"

"Why do you say that?" Ratan asked strangely.

"We are the only cement factory in Uttar Pradesh, but he didn't loosen his grip on the Lucknow airport expansion project."

"Does that thing use a lot of cement?"

"I just asked Gaur, there's at least a 200,000-ton gap."

"Hiss~" Ratan gasped.

That was a super large order that could guarantee Sur Cement Factory would operate at full capacity for two years.

"I have a hunch that he is considering whether to continue being our ally."

"What did you hear?" Ratan's eyes turned cold.

"The Tripathi Family visited him," Ron's eyes flickered.